Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-05-14

the live planets. But after long
wanderings in the skv. and after YOU
had learned all your master could teach
YOU. Your craving for more light grew
Unsuitable. You would fathom iniinity
You sought for truth, and StrOve 10 dis
cover 1t bv means of abstract ideas
taken from the wretched heap of errors
and contradictions misnamed philOsO-
phv, and wanting IN that power Of true
philosophy. which, discerning the point
where mystery begins and where rea-
son must Weld To faith. reveres the
mystery. dissatisfied and craving, YOU
sought the Oracles. At your request. /
accompanied you to the cave Of
TrOphonius. one OF the most celebrated
Of The oracles.
1t comes before nv mind now rs #
only yesterday we had made the Jour
ney. We crossed the hill of HelicoR,
where the plants were SO health-giving
that in eating of them the very ser
pents wero said 10 lose their venom.
We slept one night at the Hamios of
Asera, the country OF He's Od. and on
the following morning We passed
through the grove sacred To the MusOs.
where the statues, carved in pure
marble. were to be seen. Tripods of
bronze. upon which perfumes were
burnt, were also plentiful. dedicated
by those who had been victors in music
10 their inspiring muse. We reached
the mouth of the cavern. which appear
eel like 8 sort of vestibule surrounded
with balustrades of white marble.
with here aud there brass oblisks upon
them. From :his vestibule we entered
4 grotto hewn out of the solid rock.
eight cubits high and four wide. Here
| was not permitted to accompany YOU
farther, for here the entrance to the
mysterious cave Of IrOphOni"s once
You babe me farewell for the time.
and descended bv ladder; 1T its foot
YOU passed through a narrow aperture.
feet foremost. and then Won were hur-
ried on with the speed of lightning to
the bottom of the cavern, where We're
two famous fOuntains-One named
Lethe. which effaces the memory OF all
vOur former LIE. and the other
Mnemosvnc. which for ever fixes on
the mind whatever is to be seen or
heard in the dread cavern. You refused
To drin8of Lethe. but took of MnemO.
syne, so YOU told ME on your return;
but what you saw you would not reveal,
even to me.
"A settled melancholy seemed 10 have
fallen upon you; you avoided society.
and after vainly endeavoring to restore
YOU to your former self. saw you.
with regret, flee from the world and
.,l- -,
of a rock. a short distance from Athens.
Here YOU lived and studied. attended
only by faithful slave, who had wait
eel upon you from your youth up.
Your friends supposed you would soon
tire of this manner of life, but they
were mistaken. For five years YOU per-
sisted in il, and became every year
more fond of solitude.
'sOne mOrning-how well I recOllect
it!-vour slave entered the city, beating
his breast and throwing dust upon his
head. | felt that some calamity had
happened. and rushing from my house.
| questioned him of his master. With
some difficulty | extracted the facts
from him. Ii seemed that you mad fire.
quent conversations in an unknown
tongue with some mysterious stranger.
who would appear when you made GER
tain cabalistic signs. and who would
vanish without using the door OF the
cavern a. a means of exit The slave
was too docile and obdient to question
the will of hiS master, although he
lived in mortal fear of the strange visl-
tant. Late on the night previously
YOU summoned this familiar spirit, ami
he STAYED so long the slave fell asleep
and slept till dawn. On awaking he
found all that rema ned of his master,
"a pair of sandals. q gold-embroidered
tunic and heap of ashes.
There was a strong smell of burn
ing in the cave when | entered, an
hour later. and the slave insisted that
there had been no fire. but simply the
oil lamp, which still burned freely.
"rhe Athenian magistrates caused
strict investigation TO be made, for you
were a wealthy man, and highly con-
nected. | aided the unfortunate slave
to escape. for l feared that suspicion
might ultimately fall upon him and in
NV soul | believed his story implicitly"
He thereupon paused. ev IDENTIFY over
come and exhausted.
thank YOU for YOUR information as to
nv life so many years ago. said. but
even although it seems TO me the echo
of one vivid dream. what good can It
pOss bly do me to know ii ~
That is not the true Critic who
speaks, he replied. In your soul you
are eager TO swallow my words; they
fill your mind with thousand fancies;
through these nv hope may be realiz-
ed, for he is a wise man who can de-
eide what is fact and what Is fancy.
You may be able TO recall what took
place in the cave of Trophonius-what
that familiar spirit revealed TO Won.
Perchance YOU may again be able to
command him to your aid.
'Ah. if that we're only possible. |
said with n sigh. land by so doing did
not peril nv immortal soul. willingly
would | summon n spirit to aid me in
unfolding mysteries and bewiltlerments.
The more / know of astronomy, the
more feel my ignorance. my little
ness.
Come to me again. il Won wish"
said this old acquaintance, rising to his
feet. Think over what | have told
you. dream of it. and should any light
penetrate your mind, any memory of
YOUR former self return upon your soul.
come to me. will aid you. not for 4
purely unselfish motive. but for me to
IN. +bn foot of r1Ya a-ayiStanpa havnn1 n